Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
Just as Lumina was about to arrive at Little Swarm's residence with Ruan Mei, the ringtone for her "Special Group" suddenly chimed.
Hearing the ringtone, Lumina didn't immediately pick up her phone as she usually would. Instead, she first glanced at Ruan Mei beside her, as if seeking her opinion.
After all, the "Special Group" was composed entirely of beautiful girls, and Lumina felt a slight pang of guilt about openly chatting with other beautiful girls on her phone in front of another beautiful girl.
Hmm... does she really feel guilty?
You'd have to ask Lumina herself to be sure.
Ruan Mei understood the unspoken question in Lumina's gaze and the ringtone emanating from Lumina's phone. With a slight nod, she signaled that Lumina was free to do as she pleased.
Lumina smiled in response, a silent acknowledgment of Ruan Mei's gesture. She retrieved her phone and glanced at the screen.
"Hmm? It's Feixiao?"
Lumina was slightly surprised to see the sender's name.
At first, Lumina had assumed the message sender would be March 7th and her companions, or at the very least Herta, or even Robin from distant Penacony.
She never imagined it would be Feixiao.
Unexpected events always piqued Lumina's curiosity.
With a hint of anticipation, she tapped open the message and began to read.
[Feixiao: Sister Lumina, I'm so sorry, but the Marshal found out I was going to participate in the Wardance Ceremony. ]
[Feixiao: She strongly warned me not to fight, and I mean really strongly... ]
[Feixiao: Under these circumstances, I really couldn't refuse. ]
[Feixiao: Besides, when I thought about it, fighting at the Wardance Ceremony would be a bit inappropriate. If something went wrong and injured any of the spectators, even my rank as General wouldn't save me from the Marshal's executioner's blade... ]
Feixiao sent a flurry of messages, but the gist was simple:
Due to the Marshal's stern demands, Feixiao was unable to participate in the Wardance Ceremony.
Hmm... unexpected, but not entirely unreasonable, I suppose.
After all, without resorting to a few tricks, that fragile Skysplitter-class ship wouldn't have been able to withstand the full extent of Lumina and Feixiao's destructive power.
After pondering for a moment, Lumina understood the Marshal's intentions. She nodded slightly, offering no further comment to convey her understanding.
Understanding is one thing, but breaking a promise to me? That's unacceptable.
However, Lumina didn't intend to demand compensation immediately. Instead, she planned to wait until she met the Marshal in person to demand recompense.
After all, he broke a promise he made to me just because of your word, Marshal, leaving me hanging like that. Isn't that a bit unfair?
Lumina mused to herself, no doubt plotting some mischief.
Snapping back to reality, she tapped lightly on the screen, sending a message to Feixiao:
[Lumina: It's fine. We already sparred on the Skysplitter anyway. The Marshal's right—let's reschedule our duel for another day. ]
Ding-ding-ding!
No sooner had Lumina sent her message than Feixiao's reply arrived.
[Feixiao: I'm so sorry, Sister Lumina. I'm truly, deeply sorry. ]
[Feixiao: Sister Lumina, is there anything you want or need? Anything at all? I'll do whatever it takes to fulfill your desires! ]
"Oh?" Lumina's brow arched at the message, but her expression quickly softened.
[Lumina: It's alright, it's not a big deal. ]
[Lumina: After all, the Marshal only said you can't participate in the Wardance Ceremony, General Feixiao. They didn't say I couldn't!~ ]
Though Feixiao couldn't compete, Lumina had no intention of giving up on participating in the Wardance Ceremony.
[Feixiao: That's good to hear. I'm glad I haven't dampened your enthusiasm, Sister Lumina. ]
[Feixiao: Rest assured, Sister Lumina. When the Wardance Ceremony officially begins, I'll be there to watch every single one of your matches! ]
[Lumina: Alright~ (Lumina's smiling emoji.jpg) ]
[Lumina has logged off.]
After ending the conversation with Feixiao, Lumina put her phone away.
Turning to Ruan Mei, who stood quietly beside her, she said, "Ruan Mei, let's go. Little Swarm and the others' residence is just ahead."
"Mm-hmm," Ruan Mei nodded, saying nothing more.
She followed Lumina's lead, and within moments, they arrived at Little Swarm's residence on the Luofu.
"Little Swarm, hurry up! Let me see how you've grown!"
"N-no... don't..."
"Stelle, if you've got the guts, come at me!"
After inquiring at the front desk, they stood before Little Swarm's room. Hearing faint noises from within, Lumina abruptly withdrew her knuckles, which had been poised to knock.
"Uh... is it really that intense?" The faint sounds clearly reached Lumina's ears, and a vivid image flashed through her mind.
A scene slightly inappropriate for minors...
After all, it involved three beautiful girls inside... Even Lumina found it a bit hard to handle.
Hmm... Whether she was overwhelmed by embarrassment or a desire to join in, only Lumina herself knew.
Though, it was probably the former...
After all, she couldn't even bring herself to knock.
"It seems... Little Swarm and the Astral Express crew are getting along quite well," Ruan Mei remarked.
Though somewhat indifferent in her humanity, Ruan Mei still possessed a basic understanding of such matters.
Hearing the sounds from inside the room, Lumina could roughly guess what was happening.
Her expression remained unchanged as she murmured softly, "Aha ha... shall we come back another day?"
Although Lumina desperately wanted to barge in and give Little Swarm, Stelle, and March 7th a stern lecture, she knew a Genius Society genius was right beside her. Ruan Mei could easily see through her facade, so Lumina reluctantly abandoned the idea.
Being seen through by a beautiful girl was something Lumina absolutely, resolutely would not allow.
Faced with the choice of taking a step forward or backward, Lumina chose to retreat.
"Very well, let's return tomorrow. I'll be staying on the Luofu for a few days," Ruan Mei nodded slightly, agreeing to Lumina's suggestion.
"Then let's go. We shouldn't disturb them," Lumina said, casting a lingering, somewhat regretful glance at the tightly closed door before taking the lead to leave with Ruan Mei.
Click—
But just as Lumina and Ruan Mei were about to depart, the door suddenly swung open, and a pink-haired girl poked her head out.
She immediately spotted Lumina and Ruan Mei, who hadn't yet gone far.
"Sister Lumina, we're over here!"